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Compare prediction-market platforms one contract at a time, not by brand-wide claims. For the same event and trade size, check the fee, bid–ask spread, available liquidity, exact market rules, payout and settlement process, and whether you can legally use that venue where you live. Without matching those details and a date, claims such as “lowest fees” or “most markets” are not a reliable comparison.
What to compare before choosing a platform
| Comparison | What to check | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Total trading cost | Transaction or commission fees, any other applicable charges, the bid–ask spread, and the price and size at which your order could execute. | A low stated fee can still mean a more expensive trade if the spread is wider or your order fills at a worse price. |
| Market availability | The specific event, outcomes, deadline, and contract wording—not just the platform’s category list. | Two markets about the same subject may not ask the same question or use the same cutoff. |
| Liquidity | Current bid and ask, the quantity available at those prices, and order-book depth for the contract. | Liquidity varies by market and over time; the displayed price may not be available for the full size you want. |
| Payout and settlement | How each outcome pays, when settlement occurs, who determines the result, the authoritative source, and rules for delays, ambiguity, or voids. | The contract rules—not a generic platform description—determine what happens to your position. |
| Access and oversight | The venue’s legal entity, your location eligibility, applicable rules, and how the account and positions are handled. | A platform may operate different products or entities under different rules, and not every service is available to every user. |
| Exiting a position | Whether the venue permits trading out before settlement, the current market price, and the liquidity available to close. | An early exit depends on another market participant and prevailing market conditions; it is not a guaranteed cash-out value. |
How to compare fees fairly
Use total cost, not a headline rate
Include the platform’s transaction or trading fee and the spread between the best available buy and sell prices. Also account for any other charges that apply to the order or account. A fee schedule alone does not tell you what a particular trade will cost if the spread or execution price differs.
For a meaningful comparison, use the same contract, trade direction, quantity, order type, expected price, and account assumptions on each venue. Record the time of the comparison: both fees and order-book prices can change. If the platform’s current official schedule does not give enough information to calculate the charge, mark the fee as unverified rather than filling in a figure from an unofficial source.
Do not declare a cheapest platform without a matched calculation
Kalshi’s Help Center, in an article dated March 17, 2026, says the platform charges transaction fees based on a contract’s expected earnings and directs users to its full fee schedule. The schedule available for this comparison did not provide readable current rate details. A directly comparable current Polymarket fee table was also not established. That evidence is not enough to name either platform as the cheapest for a typical trade; check each venue’s current official terms and calculate a same-contract example before ranking costs.
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Check whether the markets are genuinely equivalent
Search for the exact event and compare the actual contract text. A market’s title or category is not sufficient: the question, outcome definitions, deadline, resolution source, and exceptional-case rules must match before prices or payouts can be compared as if they describe the same proposition.
Event contracts can be binary, multiple-choice, or range-based, among other formats. Those structures can distribute payout differently, and complex formats may have fewer participants and lower liquidity. A platform with many subject categories may still lack the particular contract you want, or list it with terms that differ from another venue.
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Understand payout and settlement from the contract rules
There is no single payout mechanic that applies to every prediction market. A binary yes-or-no contract may have an all-or-nothing result, while a market with several outcomes or ranges may use a different payoff structure, including partial payouts across ranges. Read the specific contract to determine what a winning position pays and what happens if the event is delayed, the result is unclear, or the market is voided.
Also identify the official resolution source and who makes the settlement determination. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) says customers are entitled to clear contract terms, including payout and how and by whom settlement is determined. Do not assume that the displayed question alone settles edge cases.
A market price is set by trading and reflects participants’ perceived probability; it is not a guaranteed or necessarily calibrated probability. Prices can change before settlement. CFTC guidance says positions on CFTC-regulated markets may be traded out before settlement at the then-current market price, subject to market conditions.
Verify location eligibility and the applicable venue
Check the precise platform entity and product you would use, along with the rules for your location. Polymarket describes separate U.S. and International platforms with different terms and market-integrity rules. Its disclosure says U.S. users are prohibited from trading on the International platform and describes its U.S. exchange as a CFTC-designated contract market and clearing organization, fully launched since May 2026. These are the platform’s own descriptions; verify current eligibility and terms directly with the relevant venue before opening or using an account.
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Regulatory oversight does not eliminate the possibility of loss or make every contract suitable. The CFTC advises customers to understand fees, risks, and rules and to use only risk capital. It also warns that customers may have little or no protection when dealing with unregistered entities operating outside the United States.
A practical comparison checklist
- Choose the contract first. Record the exact question, outcomes, cutoff, resolution source, and exceptional-case rules for each venue.
- Confirm access. Verify that the exact entity and product accept users in your location and identify which rules apply.
- Capture costs at the same time. Check the current official fee terms and record the bid, ask, available size, and order-book depth for the contract.
- Model the same trade. Compare the same order direction, quantity, order type, and assumed execution price, adding the applicable fee and spread.
- Compare settlement terms. Check the payout for each outcome, timing, decision-maker, authoritative source, and treatment of delays, ambiguity, or voids.
- State the limits of the comparison. Date the snapshot and identify any unverified fee or rule rather than presenting a live, market-specific fact as permanent.
What enforcement cases do—and do not—tell you
In a February 25, 2026 advisory, the CFTC described two Kalshi enforcement cases involving prohibited trading: one involving a political candidate trading on their candidacy, and another involving a trader affiliated with a YouTube channel who likely had advance knowledge of video contents. The advisory says Kalshi imposed a $2,246.36 penalty and five-year suspension in the first case, and a $20,397.58 penalty and two-year suspension in the second. These are particulars of those cases, not typical user fees, loss rates, or estimates of the risk on an ordinary trade.
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